The Return of Hyuga Sawako
by HinakoNamikaze99
Summary: Hyuga Sawako has returned to St. Marie after two long years in Paris. She can't wait to see the Sweets Princes again, but what if they don't want to see her? And what is her relationship with Kashino?
1. Chapter 1: Arrival to St Marie

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yumeiro Patissiere. I don't own Japan. Ask me again and...nothing much will happen to you.

**A/N: The consequences of writing so many stories is that you get bored with all of them. *Sighs* Hope you like this. Takes place after Ichigo's arrival and some time before the Cake Grand Prix at Japan's St. Marie.  
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**Chapter One****:** Arrival to St. Marie

* * *

><p>"Hyuga-san, welcome back."<p>

Hyuga Sawako nodded politely to the baggage-carrier as she bent her battered cap and scanned through the crowds in the airport. Why did she ever think of leaving this place was a mystery yet to be solved. She could feel the fierce blankness on her face reform into a nostalgic smile. How could she ever forget the memories here? The happy ones, the stressful ones, the painful ones. Ones that would always be embedded in her brain.

Peeking out from her dark hair was her Sweets Spirit, Shortcake, who looked as exhilarated as her partner on the inside.

"Brings back memories, ne, Sawako?"

"Yeah." Sawako grinned as she started forward in her heels (those really, _really _short heels that couldn't even be _de__fined _as heels), the noise of the squeaky trolley wheels trailing behind her.

It was absolutely official, she was definitely going to stay in Japan, and there was nobody in the world who could make her change her mind.

* * *

><p>"Ne, guys! Have you heard?"<p>

Leaning against the wall was pigtailed Amano Ichigo, who was blindly sticking leftover chocolate sauce into her mouth with a huge metal spoon while her Sweets Spirit Vanilla was drowning herself in a huge pot of tempered chocolate. Sitting nonchalantly on the table was exotic-haired Hanabusa Satsuki who - with his Sweets Spirit partner, Cafe - was looking at himself in the mirror. Same old Hanabusa-kun...

And lastly was blonde Kashino Makoto, who took the duty of washing up the unattended plates of sweets that piled up after the strenuous hours of non-stop sweets-making. Next to him was Chocolat, who was annoying the shit out of him by pointing out various obvious mistakes in his washing and cleaning.

And the ones who stopped all activity were known was Sennosuke Andou and his Sweets Spirit Caramel who was acting unusually hyper and seemed to have indulged too much sugar at one point of time.

"What is it, Andou?" Kashino drawled impatiently from the sink, constantly catching plates and dodging from Caramel's sugar high.

Holding up in the air was a velvety blue envelope that gave off a faint scent of carnations, giving the kitchen a charming grandeur. "This came in the post today," Andou said excitedly. Ichigo perked up and went over to Andou and plucked the envelope out from his hand and she flipped over the sides, there was a name on the front with little letters on the bottom that said: _I'm coming back._

Her eyes widened, "Who is it from, Andou-kun?"

"I'm eager to know too," Hanabusa nodded in acknowledgement as he read the cursive script on the envelope. In imitation to Ichigo, Hanabusa's eyes widened, "It can't be...her!"

"Yeah, I'm really surprised she's coming back too," Andou replied, dodging another attack of Caramel's Sugar High Fever.

"She's back, she's BACK! ~dechu!" Caramel screamed as she shot around the kitchen for the 50th time in a row. Annoyed by Caramel's antics, Chocolat pulled her back by the scruff of her dress and yelled at her, "Caramel! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, BAKA!"

"Sawako-chan! She's back! She's coming home! ~dechu!"

The plate in Kashino's hand slipped and crashed onto the floor with an ear-splitting shatter. "_What_! _Hyuga _is coming back!" was Kashino's response. Ichigo raised her eyebrow, did Kashino seem a little...afraid?

Ignoring Kashino's protest, Vanilla popped out her chocolate-covered head from the pot and demanded, "Oi, minna! Can anyone please tell us why you all are so happy?"

"Who's this Sawako?" Ichigo added shyly, wondering what made everyone seem so happy - except for a select few, of course - .

"Her Sweets Spirit is Honey-sama's colleague, Shortcake," Cafe said.

"SHORTCAKE!" Chocolat and Vanilla yelled at the suspiciously familiar name. All hell broke loose when the mention of Shortcake entered Vanilla's and Chocolat's ears. They were practically 'running' around panicking and sweating and snatching every single ingredient they could get their hands on and started making something that seemed like something you got out of Hell's Kitchen.

Everyone, save Vanilla and Chocolat, sweatdropped.

Taking charge of the confusion, Hanabusa explained, "Hyuga Sawako-chan used to be with us in Group A back around two years ago. We haven't seen her since she left for Paris. Now _she _was a perfect definition of a 'prodigy'."

"Really?" Ichigo exclaimed with awe. A prodigy like Henri-sensei? Seriously?

"So she's back, huh?" Kashino muttered, his eyes hard and intense, "When?"

"I was waiting for you guys to say that," Andou started tearing off the envelope with a kitchen knife and lay out Sawako's letter on the table. Everyone came over to check it out.

* * *

><p>To my dear friends,<p>

_My apologies if this is so last minute. But I will be arriving on the St. Marie's campus on January 8th,_

_I will be staying permanently unless I get called back for duties from Henri _(Ichigo flushed scarlet at the mention of Henri-sensei's name)

_Shortcake says hello to Cafe and Caramel and wants to know if Vanilla and Chocolat are getting along well, and awaits what special creation they are making for her,_

_By the way, she adds that if it's the same creation from two years ago, she'll kill them _("EEEEEK!" Chocolat and Vanilla shrieked)

_I need to make a detour to a special place, so I might be quite late._

Best Regards,

Former Group A Member,

Hyuga Sawako

_P.S. I have heard of a Miss Amano Ichigo from Henri-sensei lately, I look forward to meeting her._

_Hanabusa-kun, Andou-kun, Kashino-kun, I hope to see you again very soon._

* * *

><p>Current Group A just stared at the letter. Ichigo glanced around to take a look on the Sweets Princes reactions.<p>

The expression on Hanabusa's face reminded Ichigo of a man being requited with his long-lost lover. Even his rose background seemed quadrupled. Andou had a wistful look on his face, his gaze faraway, as if remembering some kind of a sad memory.

She turned to Kashino, and to her surprise, he had on a mask of blankness. Even his eyes looked dead. Though this was normally expected from _the _Kashino Makoto, she didn't perceive that he would react this way in a situation like this.

"As formal as always," Andou whispered so softly that Ichigo wondered if he was talking to himself.

"I wonder how she looks like now," Hanabusa mused, grabbing a rose from his chef's jacket, probably to try to woo Sawako once she arrived.

"How did she look like before?" Ichigo asked.

"Like a guy," was Kashino's, Andou's and Hanabusa's response. Ichigo sweatdropped again. Kashino chuckled.

"It's the truth! Everyone called us the four Sweet Princes until they found out Hyuga was a _girl_!" Kashino was now clutching his sides and stifling maniacal laughter. Ichigo couldn't help it but giggle at Kashino's sudden character change.

"It was horrifying, she looked too feminine to be a boy and yet too violent to be a girl," Hanabusa shook his head in remembrance of the Hyuga's atrocious appearance.

"She had short dark hair and was even shorter than _Kashino_!" Andou laughed, much to Kashino's chagrin.

"I'M NOT THAT SHORT!"

"Sorry, you still are," Hanabusa replied.

Kashino growled but didn't say anything. Cafe randomly added, "I wonder what Shortcake-senpai looks now."

Shivers went up Chocolat's and Vanilla's spines. Why did _nobody _tell them that Shortcake was coming home so soon!_ Why_! "Scary..." Vanilla whimpered, seeking Ichigo for comfort, who awkwardly tried to reassure the traumatized Vanilla.

"Shortcake-senpai is really pretty," Caramel mused cheerfully, not at all frightened of the well-known 'Devil Cake Shortcake', "but she didn't like Vanilla and Chocolat arguing."

"PRETTY MY FOOT!" Chocolat cussed. The others raised their eyebrows at Chocolat, who - along with the others - rarely cussed, "You should see her angry ~desu wa!"

"Back when we were studying to become patissieres, Shortcake-senpai was in the same rank as Honey-sama," Cafe explained, who, was also trying to comfort Vanilla who was nearly trying to drown herself in their (Vanilla and Chocolat) cake mix, "But for different reasons."

"What reasons?" Ichigo asked, suddenly feeling very worried about the answer.

They waited for Cafe's answer, who seemed nervous himself to reveal Shortcake's history, "She...was infamous for being able to drill anyone in her presence to cook the best cakes in the Kingdom no matter what it takes as long as it's good and tasty, she's also infamous for being able to force Vanilla and Chocolat to shut up. She's also very well-known to be good friends with pitchforks."

"And Shortcake's _very _influential, I'm quite worried what Sawako-chan will be when she gets back," Hanabusa shuddered at the mere thought.

"Hopefully not as violent and not as short-tempered," Andou groaned.

The four sighed as they glanced at the clock. Less than twenty-four hours until Sawako's arrival to St. Marie. Whether Sawako would come back a different person or not, Group A would have to see.

* * *

><p>Hyuga Sawako faced the tall, brass door in distaste.<p>

_'Special place' my foot, _Sawako laughed to herself halfheartedly, _what on earth was I thinking to come back to the place that _made _me to break my own restrictions?_

Her fingers lingered on the new, high-tech sensory object placed firmly on the door, hesitantly wondering whether she should press the red button or not. They always said that pressing red buttons led to disaster, as always.

She could only imagine what would happen when she went past the gateways to hell. Her toned and lightly-muscled father sitting in his office on the top floor, reading his daily newspaper, casually pressing the speaker button whenever he liked to call anyone he needed, her slim, exotic French mother on the piano bench, nimble fingers playing across the expensive piano, in her own world of perfections and 'minus-1 mistakes'.

Meanwhile, Shortcake was sitting on her dazed partner's shoulder, eager to hurry up and get to St. Marie as quickly as she could so she could 'tutor' her lovely students Vanilla and Chocolat again. Unfortunately, Sawako was not exactly concentrating on what she should be doing.

Her patience strained, Shortcake flew up to the red button and practically _smashed _herself against it until a crackling came from the device and both her and Sawako flinched. "Was this a good idea?" Sawako asked herself.

"Names?" the crackling slowly ceased and out came a voice. Sawako jumped when she recognized that voice. _Rito..._she thought. She recalled the young and youthful voice of her beloved caretaker in her memories. The man who didn't think she should be forced into becoming heiress to Hyuga Publications Co., the one who truly believed that she could become a patissier whose name would be well-known by millions.

She croaked out happily, "It's me, Rito-san, Hyuga Sawako."

There was a silence, and for a few moments, her caretaker didn't speak. "I'm sorry, you are not in our list of eligible guests."

Hearing those words, Sawako's heart raced and she continuously jammed the button repeatedly, "B-But, Rito-san! It's me, Sawako!"

"I-I'm sorry, but you are not - "

"Please! Rito-san! Why are you - "

"Sawa-chan," her caretaker's voice croaked, as if he didn't really want to do this to her, "please, you can't come in."

The device immediately switched off, leaving Sawako frozen on the spot, speechless, blinking, trying not to cry.

"Sawako?" Shortcake asked uncertainly.

Sawako caught her breath and stepped back, dropping her hand, letting it dangle aimlessly against her side, "Don't worry, I'm fine, Shortcake."

To Shortcake, Sawako absolutely _didn't _seem fine at all. Her face was pale and drawn, her blue eyes lost its twinkle and the aura around her seemed to diminish completely.

With a deep breath, Sawako announced, "Let's get back to the hotel."

* * *

><p>It had been a sleepless night for Kashino Makoto, as he turned and fidgeted to find a comfortable spot on his bed so he could finally get some shut-eye.<p>

He peeked over from his covers and looked at his alarm clock, it was three a.m. in the morning. Thank god it was a Sunday.

His body was worn and tired, and in this state, he could easily sleep _anywhere _without any problem. So why was he feeling so awake_ now_?

He thought of Hyuga Sawako and her unpredictable demeanor, scruffy dark hair and nimble fingers that traced across the table when she was bored, how once, they measured hands, and found hers considerably smaller and petite than his, how Kashino badly wanted to touch the skin of the unbeatable prodigy.

Heat rose up his cheeks and he immediately faced down on the pillow so nobody could see his red face, despite it being pitch-black and Chocolat was already snoozing off (with constant whimpers of 'Help me' and 'NOT THAT!') in her bed.

It was an impossible dream. _Nobody _could touch her.

He recalled the time three years ago, the single year he cherished with Hyuga Sawako.

* * *

><p><em><span>Flashback<span> -_

_It was the first day starting at St. Marie, and Kashino was feeling as normal as usual. Meaning he was half-anticipated and half-bored at the same time. Which is basically impossible.  
><em>

_Beside him with Andou, who was talking away about their first day of school in high spirits. Kashino just nodded, which merely encouraged Andou even further._

_Kashino was silent, wishing something highly intriguing might happen._

_His wish came true._

_When Andou ceased his talking, Kashino looked up, figuring why Andou's jaw dropped and glanced in the direction of his stare. What met Kashino's sight made his stomach churn and bubble of held back laughter explode from his lips._

_A 'guy' with unruly, dark hair, a frown on 'his' face and wearing a GIRL'S SCHOOL UNIFORM __was standing in the middle of the school grounds with a crowd surrounding 'him'. 'He' definitely seemed disgruntled and looked like one of the most unattractive girls/boys Kashino had ever seen. God, what was this 'guy' THINKING wearing a girl's uniform right out in the open where the whole world could see 'him'? Was 'he' some kind of a weird cross-dresser or something?_

_"No! No! That is not right!" an annoying ladies' man voice broke Kashino out of his train of thoughts._

_A green-haired weirdo came up to the unattractive 'cross-dresser' and planted his arms on 'his' shoulders and started shaking him repeatedly, "That's not right! You simply can't confuse us handsome boys to think you're dressing up as such an unattractive girl! Please, put on a male's uni - " the green-haired guy was cut off when the other 'boy' pushed him off with a hard thrust of his fist, eyes blazing and veins throbbing. "Screw it, you people, I'm a GIRL! What are you guys blubbering about, BAKAS!"_

_Kashino's grin immediately fell off his face and like Andou, he stared disbelievingly at the 'guy'. Simply because no 'guy' would ever be 'manly' enough to admit that he was a 'girl'. It just wasn't right. After the girl's outburst, the others cleared off as quickly as possible while Hanabusa stood there, pale and jaw-slacked._

_Suddenly, the girl turned to the two boys, Kashino and Andou, and glared suspiciously at them, "Oi! Hentais! What do you think you're ogling at!" this epic line brought Kashino and Andou out of their staring game._

_"We weren't," Kashino shot back._

_The scowl on her face turned into a crooked smile, the aura around her seemed to drop to at least five hundred degrees, proof being Hanabusa shivering in one corner wearing a ski cap, "Oh, really?" her tone was sly, "You think I'm crazy too, right? You don't believe I'm a_girl_, now don't you?"_

_Kashino stifled a gasp when the girl glided near him, her cold breath mingling with his, "You're thinking: 'This person is too hideous to look like a girl', right? Don't deny it." Andou flinched at the venom in her voice, but Kashino stood still, unwavering at the killer blood-lust emanating from the innocently smiling girl. "You men are all the same, you can't take the truth being thrown at you."_

_A chord of rage struck in Kashino after hearing that hurtfully sexist line and all fear of the girl was completely erased, his cheeks flushed and he found his arm reaching out and curling it harshly around the girl's arm. Her eyes widened in shock and tint of blush entered her cheeks. Kashino realized what he was doing and mentally slapped himself. He just touched a GIRL, and now SHE was probably going to fall head over heels for him like all the other -_

_"YOU ****ING PERVERT!" she screamed as her fist connected with Kashino's chin and he felt his feet get lifted off the floor and being thrown fifty feet over the school._

_"KA-KASHINO!" yelled Andou._

_"Do you think he'll live?" Hanabusa asked, recovered from his post-freeze state._

_"I-I think so..." Andou sweatdropped, as the blushing girl stalked away from them, muttering curses, leaving the two boys staring in disbelief at her. "I hope we won't be in the same group as her," Hanabusa prayed._

_Andou shuddered._

* * *

><p><em><span>In Cooking Class<span>_

_"My name is Ameya_(?)_-sensei, welcome to cooking class," all eyes were on their sensei as she flipped over pages on her clipboard, going for roll call._

_Meanwhile, Kashino was standing as far away from the unfriendly brunette as possible, who seemed to be socially isolated by many of her peers, some even looking uncomfortable standing five feet near her. It seemed like even those in her age group didn't want to accept her - or her odd appearance - . The only one that seemed comfortable standing next to her was Kato Rumi._

_Kashino rubbed the bruise on his chin which scarred his chiseled features as he exchanged glances with Andou, who, was nervously looking at the crazy girl who was sending off blood-lust like tears._

_"She's announcing the groups," whispered Hanabusa, who had easily made friends with the Japanese confectionery heir (Andou)._

_"Group A - Sennosuke Andou, Hanabusa Satsuki, Kashino Makoto and Hyuga Sawako," Ameya-sensei announced, "these four are the highest in both grades and cooking ability, therefore, they shall be in the elite A Group."_

_This announcement started murmurs and whispering, Rumi jokingly commenting on 'The Four Sweets Princes' as the brunette next to her flinched, what Kashino observed. The fangirls of Hanabusa, Andou and Makoto screeched excitedly at the new nickname for their idols, while the others wondered who was this 'Hyuga Sawako'._

_"Can Andou-kun, Hanabusa-kun, Kashino-kun and Hyuga-san please raise their hands?" Hanabusa, Andou and Kashino raised their hands immediately. From the corner of their eyes, they paled, when they found 'Hyuga Sawako' tentatively raising her hand for the whole class to see. It was the brunette that beat the daylights out of him._

_There was a long silence when the students found out who was Hyuga Sawako. The fangirls were devastated that there would be a girl in Group A to steal their beloveds, but nobody, absolutely NOBODY, were more devastated than the Sweet Princes._

CRAP_, the trio thought._

_Flashback End -_

* * *

><p>"Crap, no, no, no," Kashino murmured in his sleep as he struggled and thrashed about in his bed.<p>

Suddenly, a slim, cool hand was placed against his brow, his eyes popped open in reaction to the sudden touch of coolness. His cheeks reddened and his hazel eyes met the large, blue ones of the only well-known Hyuga Sawako. The stoic expression on her face evolved into a genuine smile, "Good morning, Kashino-kun."

Kashino, speechless, looked at his surroundings. Hanabusa had already left due to the tidiness of his bed, sunlight was streaming through the window, brightening up the whole room. But what caught his attention the most was the unmistakable girl sitting on the edge of his bed, her hand still on his forehead, too near him to make it look innocent.

His eyes trailed from the loose casual clothing of the Hyuga to her long, pitch-black hair that fell down her shoulders and the sparkling eyes that were no longer covered from her long fringe, in contrast to the usually messy and scruffy hair she used to have three years ago. He wouldn't even have recognized her if she wasn't wearing the charm bracelet she was given from her friends at the 'Sayonara Sawako-chan' party.

"Hyuga?"

Her smile widened. Even her current self was so different from the girl he met three years ago.

Trying to find something to get his eyes off the girl, his gaze wandered to the edge of the bed where Chocolat slept on...she was gone. His heart skipped a beat as he sat up, almost throwing Sawako off-balance as he threw up the covers, his senses going on high alert as his first mission entered his mind: Find Chocolat. Sawako's cool hand clutched his arm, almost calming him down as she calmly explained, "Don't worry, she's gone off to see Shortcake."

Kashino tensed up a little. He suddenly felt sorry for his Sweets Spirit partner.

He fell back on his pillow, not caring whether Sawako could see him in his boxers or not, and placed his arm over his eyes. She released her grip and leaned on Kashino's headboard. None of them said anything for awhile. Sawako glanced at the blonde and asked in a wistful tone, "It's been long, hasn't it?"

Kashino muttered something that resembled a disdainful grunt.

"Why didn't you keep in touch?"

She caught her breath, she was hoping he wouldn't ask that question. He lifted his arm and eyed Sawako with suspicion. She paled under Kashino's glare. Reluctantly, he sat up and looked at her right in the eye. The look in his eyes were filled with anger and fury, "Answer me, Hyuga." She looked away. Wrong move.

It was like her life was flashing before her as she felt herself getting thrown off the bed and landing on her back on the hard floor, wincing in pain as the slightly bigger boy lunged at her and pinned her down by the arms. Blonde hair covered his rage-filled eyes. Sawako didn't try to struggle free. She would accept any punishment he threw at her. She shut her eyes and waited for the outcome.

She flinched under him as a teardrop landed on her face. One after another. She blinked away the tears that landed in her eyelids and focused on the tears that were rolling down Kashino's face. She could feel his whole body tremble and the grips on her arms loosen.

"Why," his normally harsh voice quivered, "_Why _didn't you tell us how you were doing?"

_Because I didn't want to tell you how much I enjoyed being with 'them'.  
><em>

"_Why _didn't you answer _any _of my calls?"

_Because I was afraid what you're going to say._

"_Why_," he choked, "were you gone for so long?"

_Because...I didn't want to let you know how much I've changed._

"Kashino-kun..." Sawako whispered, as droplets spilled across her face as she stared at the boy before her. With great reluctance, she removed her arm from Kashino's grip and cupped his face in her hand. He stopped choking as her finger flicked away a stray tear, "I'm sorry."

Kashino shook his head and wiped away his tears with a free hand and slowly climbed off Sawako and sat down beside her. Surprised, Sawako peeked over to the boy. He was huddled into a ball, hand clasped firmly around the wrist where a silver chain glittered under the sunlight.

"Andou and Hanabusa missed you."

Sawako didn't reply. Instead, she placed her feet on Kashino's bed.

"They were depressed over you for two weeks."

Sawako giggled.

"Then Amano came along."

Sawako stopped giggling. She sat up and gave Kashino a stern look, "Are you talking about Amano Ichigo-san?"

"The one who's so infatuated with your beloved adopted father, correct."

Sawako winced. She met Henri-sensei at one of her father's business parties, and he insisted that Takashi (Sawako's father) shipped her off to St. Marie to be taught proper sweets-making skills after Sawako correctly told Henri **all** the ingredients he used to make his Opera. And then she showed him her tempering skills she picked up from the family's chef.

In the end, she was forcefully handed over to Henri custody's after recent reports from the neighbors about a little girl from that particular family being seen abused by her father. Much to say, the authorities didn't take it kindly and put her in an orphanage and stripped Takashi and her mother from ever seeing her again. The only reason being Sawako had no other relatives left to take her of her. It took Henri weeks to find her and adopt her as his own child/disciple.

Though, Sawako thought, it would have been much more satisfying if that particular piece of information leaked out to the whole world of the famous and 'fatherly' Hyuga Takashi.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to meeting her. As well as one of his other disciples."

Kashino raised an eyebrow, "Do you mean Tennouji-kaichou? Blonde, pretty and smart?"

"Blonde, pretty and smart? Yes, that must be her, since I doubt anyone else here is blonde, pretty and smart," Sawako replied sarcastically. Kashino's mouth twitched. At least Sawako hadn't lost her sense of humor.

Their short period of gimmicks didn't last, and they ended up staring at the walls, not speaking a word,_ again_. Feeling extremely bored, Kashino glanced up at his alarm clock. It was precisely twelve p.m.

"You should catch up with Andou and Hanabusa," Kashino noted.

Sawako nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Sugoi, Hanabusa-kun! That looks really good!"<p>

Sitting on Group A's table was a cake. But not just any other cake. It was a three-layered chiffon cake that tasted of milk chocolate, just the way Sawako liked it, lined elegantly with macha frosting and topped delicately with finely made roses that surpassed all the other roses Hanabusa created.

Being the snappy thinker Ichigo was, she decided to cut some little strawberries in half and placed them carefully at every available space she could find. The other Sweets Spirits helped as well, mainly Vanilla and Chocolat, who were extremely afraid whether Shortcake liked it or not - as she was standing in the background overlooking their progress.

Cafe enchanted the cake to smell faintly of the sweet aroma of coffee, Caramel helped decorate the platter with caramel delicacies while Vanilla and Chocolat hurriedly dipped the strawberries half with chocolate and half with vanilla. The cake looked absolutely gorgeous that even Shortcake looked more than mildly impressed.

"It looks very good," she commented, "May I ask who baked this lovely chiffon cake?"

The three Group A members exchanged glances, trying to put the baggage on the others' shoulders, in the end, Andou explained - unusually - sheepishly, "Kashino worked on it after we left for bed. Chocolat says that he got back to the dorm only after two."

At this, Shortcake raised her eyebrows and her wings fluttered in apprehension.

"For Sawako?"

Ichigo glanced at the the two Princes in confusion, "Isn't it obvious we made it for Sawako-san?"

Everyone save Ichigo facepalmed. Sometimes even Ichigo couldn't tell what the meaning of 'obvious' was. Hanabusa took the opportunity to gently explain it to the dense girl, "Ichigo-chan, Kashino and Sawako-chan were closer than just friends."

"You mean...KASHINO AND SAWAKO-SAN ARE DATING!" Ichigo shrieked, blush rising up her cheeks.

"Um, not exactly," Andou laughed nervously.

"Bluntly speaking, Kashino is like an obsessed, overprotective, cocky brother to Sawako-chan," Hanabusa stated bluntly.

"A rival," Shortcake sighed.

"A best friend," cued Chocolat.

"And many, many other things," the other Sweets Spirits chorused.

"So, it's like they're different people at different times?" Ichigo asked.

"To put it that way, yes," groaned the two Sweets Princes and the Sweets Spirits.

Ichigo was about to say something else before they heard a huge CRASH! and yells echoing from the corridor. The junior patissieres jumped up in alarm and in one panicked glance, they quickly barged through the doors and made their way to a very unexpected scene in front of them.

A strikingly familiar girl was lying on the floor, groaning in pain with a bruise on her temple. What made the scene even more shocking was that a handsomely well-known blonde had made a cage around her with his lanky arms like a protection barrier, panting and red-faced with hurt from the impact of whatever hit them.

"KASHINO! SAWAKO-CHAN!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: You all are probably angry at me that I haven't updated my other stories yet. But be patient, grasshoppers, good things come to those who do the wave, you know?**

**Kudos!**

**HinakoNamikaze99**


	2. Chapter 2: Sweet Memories

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yumeiro Patissiere. I don't own Japan. Ask me again and...nothing much will happen to you.

**A/N: Check out the poll on my profile: "Which of my OCs do you like the best".  
><strong>

**Chapter Two:** Sweet Memories

* * *

><p>Sawako didn't change at all, Kashino realized. She was still the sarcastic, eccentric and clumsy oaf he recalled three years ago. Though maybe one day, in Kashino's opinion, clumsiness could be her undoing.<p>

It started after she accidentally 'tripped' over his foot, where a flight of stairs was conveniently built in front of her, as she literally fell down the stairs inelegantly like a potato, which caused a slight impact against a flower vase, but was enough to topple it over. Kashino, seeing danger, immediately built a barrier over her and took the impact of the hard glass instead.

He could remember his blood spilling across the floor and the shards of class embedded on his back. But he couldn't remember _why _he did something so reckless.

All he cared about was that Sawako was safe.

There was dull pain rippling through his back, a threatening emotion of agony running through his veins. All he could remember seeing was Sawako before he passed out.

* * *

><p>Sawako didn't like hospitals. She didn't like cold, bare, sickbays either.<p>

She had just recently woken up on her own; weary and confused as she looked around the unfamiliar room in the St. Marie Campus. She had never been here. It was simple, she never got sick.

Her eyes traced to the new, clean shirt and PE shorts she was wearing to the stiff white beds in contrast to the soft, comfy one she had back in Paris, the seemingly tolerable pillows that almost threatened to leave a rock-sized dent on her head, the delicate, white interior of the walls and the tinted windows that gave the room an even creepier persona.

She tried to get off her bed, but failed, as soon as her feet hit the floor, the bones in her body turned to jelly and she fell over and hit the ground face-flat. "Ow," she groaned, holding her head high with her elbow, the numbness slowly leaving her legs, enabling her to struggle up on her knees using the table lamp as a cane.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Ah, uh, come in?" Sawako called uncertainly, seeing that there was no school nurse around.

The door creaked open as she saw a flash of light from some glassy material and a tuft of dark hair. Her heart pounded, it couldn't be -

"Ah, Hyuga-san! Thank goodness you're awake!"

_Andou-kun!_

"A-Andou-kun!" Sawako scrambled off the floor and wrapped her arms around the tall megane. Her cheeks flushed scarlet as she pressed her crying face into his chest, "Andou-kun, Andou-kun, I missed you so much...~" She heard laughter and sensed a warm hand ruffling her already-disastrous dark hair affectionately like a puppy.

"I'm glad to see you too, everybody missed you," Andou reassured, pressing his lips on her hair, in a brotherly way of course. Sawako didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Andou's unmistakable affection for his 'little sister'. She released him, actually recognizing for the first time that her body ached after she hugged him.

"How is Kashino-kun?" Sawako asked worriedly, feeling guilty again for not worrying about Kashino's health firsthand.

Andou's bright eyes dimmed considerably, but kept a halfhearted smile on his face, "Don't worry, Hyuga-san, we just fixed him up three hours ago, he has some deep cuts, but nothing fatal that might possibly injure him severely, he's still asleep, though."

"Oh," Sawako's tone softened, looking down at her bare feet, "May I see him?"

Andou flinched, Sawako noticed, but didn't say anything. He was probably thinking, _So the trouble magnet wants to cause more trouble again?_

"I think you should," was the last response Sawako expected from Kashino's best friend, "He seems troubled. I think he's pining away for your company."

"The _last _time _he_ associated with me, I got into an accident five minutes later and _dragged him along with __me_!" she half-shouted, then realized how loud she was, and clamped a hand over her mouth, blushing tomato red.

Andou sighed and reassuringly squeezed the brunette's hunched shoulders. Sawako flinched at the sudden touch and blushed even redder, "Accidents happen to everyone. Besides, this isn't your first time. Amano-san practically makes it a habit nowadays." At that comment, Sawako lightened up and chuckled.

"Alright, I'll go, just let me slip into my shoes," Sawako finally gave in as she prepared to face the Prince of Chocolates yet again.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback~<em>

_It had been seven days since their arrival to St. Marie. It had been six and a half days since they found out Sawako's Sweets Spirits partner was a first-class psychopathic sociopath. And it had been exactly four hours and twenty-six seconds since having been punched in the face with an opera due to criticizing its unusual flavor. You could guess who gave him a half-broken nose. It's so simple._

_"She punches hard," Kashino said to himself._

_Hanabusa partially ignored him and wrote something down in a blue notebook, "That's the 20th time she's punched you this week."_

_Kashino tickmarked, "Seriously! You're RECORDING how many times she's kicked my ass?"_

_Hanabusa smiled underneath, though albeit evil, "Yes indeed, for now it's Kashino: Nil and Sawako-chan: 20." Kashino tickmarked again and threw his pillow at the green-haired boy who was laughing his head off while dodging, not letting his precious 'score' notebook fly out of the window._

_"Damn you," Kashino muttered, as he lay down on his bed, reassuringly rubbing his poor nose and cursing Sawako to the deepest pits in hell. Both Andou and Hanabusa had been quite amused with the undying entertainment Sawako provided for them daily, much to Kashino's chagrin._

_He despised her. He despised her quick and flawless techniques, her calm exterior when creating a delicious sweet, her unbelievably relaxed composure and her overflowing confidence and cockiness. He hated her for being so perfect. He bet she hardly practiced at all, being the rumored 'Prodigy on Par with Henri Lucas'._

_He glanced up at the clock above his headboard, it was exactly eight o' clock. He looked around to see that Chocolat was already comfortably asleep. Might as well practice._

_He grabbed his chef's apron and made his way out, blatantly shutting the door HARD behind him when Hanabusa teasingly asked for Sawako's phone number._

_As soon as he reached the hallways, he sensed a sweet, chocolaty aroma forcing his senses into a state of temporary drowsiness, a hazy and alluring scent that made Kashino want to follow it. He wanted to shake himself awake but he couldn't. It was if he was put under a love spell by some mysterious force._

_It was coming from the kitchen. He pushed through the doors and met the sight of what put him off-balance._

_Hair pulled up into a messy bun and several cuts on the arm, Hyuga Sawako was slowly slicing something, a pot of water boiling away on a stove. But what astonished Kashino the most were the bags under her normally bright eyes, looking weary and unfocused, her hands trembling as she cut her ingredients._

_He compared the untidy, straggly girl at day who always looked unbelievably focused and doubtless, to the girl before him, run-down and tired, looking as if she was about to slice off her finger._

_Realization struck him._

_This girl was human too._

_She wasn't a goddess with enough confidence and determination to fill up three tanks, she wasn't the impossibly brilliant genius who couldn't be beat._

_But hell, he wasn't going to admit THAT, he didn't want to fuel her ego even more._

_Sawako looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of Kashino Makoto by the door. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and glared at the blonde, "What do you want?"_

_"The kitchen is a public place, dumbass."_

_Kashino waited for Sawako to beat the shit out him but was surprised she didn't. Instead, she looked down at her cooking, looking tired and worn._

_"What do you think?"_

_Kashino blinked, slightly surprised at Sawako's unusually humble question, and looked over her supposed project. Beside her were two mugs of hot chocolate she made earlier. So THAT was what lured him in..._

_On a plate was a beautiful gateau chocolate Opera, so beautifully made that it almost made him drool on the spot. Sawako tentatively handed him a fork. He dug a piece and looked it over, it wasn't breaking, and it didn't give off that unusual scent that made him cringe earlier._

_He slowly placed the piece in his mouth. He dropped his fork in surprise._

_A swirling luscious feeling spread across his tongue, the chocolate melting in his mouth, the strange but original taste of bitter chocolate spicing up his taste buds. He sighed in remorse, reminiscing of the times when he fought with his parents about his application to St. Marie. The taste reminded him of melancholy for some reason. It wasn't good or bad, just sad._

_He glanced at the tense girl. The taste normally reflects the creator's emotions, he thought to himself in speculation. _

_"So?" she asked impatiently, though not with her usual snappiness._

_"It's..." Kashino was speechless for a moment, "Good."_

_He could almost hear her sigh in relief, and smirked. This girl was a weirdo._

_Then he caught her nearly invisible eyes under her long fringe, glittering, small tears forming. He saw her flushed cheeks and heard her repressed hiccups. She was crying earlier before he came in, he knew it._

_In fact, he wondered, I've never really seen how she looks like without that badly-cut fringe._

_"It's better," he finally concluded, as he started to pick up the fork on the floor. Sawako leaned down as well.  
><em>

_In a flash of a moment, their hands formed contact, and Sawako flinched and quickly retrieved the fork without the help of the dazed blonde, cheeks flushed pink. God, he sighed mentally, shaking his head, this girl is seriously weird._

_"Thanks," she muttered almost silently._

_He stared intensely past her messy haircut and their eyes met directly for the first time. His heart almost flew out of the window when he saw how large, how deep her eyes were. He could almost catch her emotions caged up in her irises. The hurt, the almost forced-on calmness, the deep anxiety and worry that seemed to burden her, the hurt and pain that he wouldn't like experiencing himself either._

_He hated to admit it, but he really misjudged her actions._

_All this time while she was acting like a bad-tempered brat, she was just insecure about herself. She had worries like everyone else. He just looked the wrong way about her._

_She looked away and turned off the stove and started tipping__ the hot water over some dirty dishes. Seeing that she was probably going to be busy, Kashino turned to make his awkward leave, only to hear her say, "Wait, assho - I mean, Kashino-kun."_

_He paused and looked back. She was holding out a mug of hot chocolate to him, not meeting his eyes, blushing under her chef's hat, "I made extras."_

_He wondered whether she was just making an excuse to make amends, but grinned slightly and took it from her and poured the rich liquid down his throat, he commented, "Not bad."_

_Sawako scowled and drank hers, the sounds of slurping down hot chocolate echoing throughout the empty kitchen.  
><em>

_This was a start of a pretty decent friendship.  
><em>

_Sawako: 20 _

_Kashino: 1  
><em>

_Flashback End ~_

* * *

><p>"Hey, he's awake!"<p>

"Kashino, daijobu?"

"Thank god Kashino, you gave us a scare."

"Feeling better?"

"Kashino! How could you be so clumsy?"

The sleepy blonde felt like killing his Group A members for awaking him from that melancholy dream but refrained from doing it, taking in the relieved faces of his 'friends'. Even the normally I'm-a-tomboy-so-I-don't-really-like-crying Sawako had tears rolling down her cheeks. She immediately jumped on him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, wailing like a baby and crushing the poor boy under her weight.

"Oh god, Kashino-kun I'm so sorry, I swear I'll be more careful..."

"O-Oi, Hyuga!"

"A-Ano, Hyuga-san..." Andou sweatdropped, though quite amused at this turn of events.

"Sawako-chan your position..." Hanabusa sweatdropped at her normal unladylike actions.

"Sawako-chan, you're going to kill Kashino soon," Ichigo pointed out, also sweatdropping.

_Same old Sawako..._Chocolat, Cafe, Caramel and Shortcake sweatdropped.

He felt cold teardrops run down his face as she sobbed on his flaming hot cheeks. "I'm sorry..." she murmured, "I'm sorry I got you into this stupid mess."

Her hands gripped on his shirt tightly as she sobbed harder, not caring whether she had a highly intrigued audience behind her.

Kashino didn't care either.

To him, she felt warm, he felt her words were true and sincere, her actions honest and her innocence real. She was truly worried for him, and he caused so much worry for her.

Kashino, without a single doubt, ruffled her hair and placed his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him as he rested his head on her hair, smiling all the way.

"Don't cry, Hyuga."

* * *

><p>Ichigo blushed at the sight of the two unmistakable friends holding each other, looking so sweet and loving, somewhat like how a boy would treat his girlfriend. Gently and warmly...<p>

Sawako was perfect for Kashino. She was the pretty, skillful and intelligent girl a boy like Kashino would ever want. So sweet, so honest...

"I hope you don't get the wrong idea, Amano-san," Andou said as she found herself being led away by the megane as well as the Sweets Spirits and Hanabusa, where once they got out of the room, they shut the door behind them.

"Nani?" Ichigo asked uncertainly.

"About Sawako-chan," Hanabusa said.

"She isn't as perfect as you think," Shortcake explained.

"Oh, I thought so..." Ichigo muttered uncertainly.

"In fact, Amano-san, she's made more mistakes than you would ever make in a year," Andou joked, "She was different two years ago."

"Blunt," Hanabusa stated.

"Unsociable," Shortcake added.

"Intolerable," said Cafe.

"Extremely uncooperative," Andou sweatdropped.

"Awkward ~desu wa!" chorused Chocolat.

"Different ~dechu," Caramel said innocently brightly.

"Sugoi..." Vanilla sweatdropped when she heard all of this. _This girl really has issues..._

"We didn't believe she was a prodigy," Hanabusa confessed, "she always hid under that facade of anger and ignorance and made so many silly technique mistakes no proper chef would make by accident."

"It really was Kashino who brought out the best in her," concluded Andou.

"The night he was alone in the kitchen with the Snow Princess," Hanabusa grinned slyly.

"My guess was she had taken Kashino's advice about remaking her Opera during culinary class," Shortcake said, smiling at the faint memory of seeing the two complex people drinking hot chocolate in the middle of the kitchen, "a strange child after all, Sawako."

"She was afraid of Kashino, she was afraid that he would always surpass her in everything," Hanabusa said softly, remembering Sawako's reactions to Kashino's achievements in _everything _that should have been belonged to her.

"Grades, she had terrible grades that it was impossible to tell whether her reputation as prodigy was real at all," Cafe recalled looking over Sawako's epic failing marks on everything except for French, which he knew _obviously _that Henri Lucas had trained her vigorously on.

"But it was her unique sense of style in cooking that brought out the energy in her," Andou recalled wistfully.

"It was her passion for making sweets that made Kashino jealous of her and admire her," Hanabusa laughed half-heartedly.

"_KASHINO? _Jealous!" Ichigo gaped.

"Unbelievable," Chocolat scoffed.

"They were like two different individuals trying to see what made the other tick. Kashino found out why she found it hard to get good grades, Sawako found out why Kashino always made wonderful chocolates."

"Henri-sensei taught her very special methods in getting grades that would've worked on her, but the teachers at St. Marie found it difficult to find methods for her that Henri-sensei used to use, and it was the method of memorization. You see, she can't understand _unless _she memorizes it beforehand, while the rest of us only need to understand to memorize," Andou explained, "thanks to Kashino, we understand her problem now."

"Soon, she reached the top as a model student just second to Kashino, and her personality changed little by little once Kashino helped her out," Hanabusa chuckled at the faint memory.

"Wow, Kashino did that?" Ichigo whispered to herself, who had no idea Kashino could be this nice.

"She smiled more, but mostly at Kashino-kun," Shortcake pouted.

"She was closer to Kashino than all of us combined, and this is the proof," Andou pulled up his sleeve, revealing a silver chain with charms on them, Hanabusa pulled up his, but unlike Andou's his charms were different.

"Sawako-chan's circle of friends grew little by little and when the day came where she would go to Paris with her _teammates_," if Ichigo heard clearly, Hanabusa sounded disgusted at the last few words, "all of us - her friends - exchanged charms with each other. I gave her a rose charm, Andou gave her a leaf charm, Kashino gave her a mirror charm."

_Why would Kashino give her a mirror charm? _Ichigo wondered.

"'I will always be part of you, when you look into the mirror, you will see me, because our bonds are stronger than mere chains would ever be'," Andou remembered the words as he spoke them, each syllable rolling off his tongue.

Ichigo's heart thumped as soon as she heard those words. She wouldn't believe that Kashino was _capable _of being as deep as that. The words sounded so true, echoing off her mind as the words 'stronger than chains' made her feel more refreshed. She looked at each bright face of her friends' in turn and smiled, they were bonded by something stronger than chains too.

"Then Hyuga-san gave me a coat-of-arms charm to represent family, so I would be on stabilized terms with Ichita," said Andou.

"She gave me an oak tree charm to always be strong if one day a girl rejects me," Hanabusa laughed lightly.

The others became silent.

"What did she give to Kashino?" Ichigo asked, seeing the wry faces of her friends.

"She told him to come to the dorm tomorrow morning on the day she would leave," Hanabusa said cautiously.

"And...?"

"By the time Kashino came by, she had already left."

Silence dawned on them as they all stared at their feet, feeling awkward with this odd situation.

"On her dresser was her favorite gemstone, the sapphire, and a note."

"'_I'm sorry I would not be able to say good-bye to all of you. I never wanted to participate in the Cake Grand Prix in the first place, I never intended to win, because I have already won in life. Because I already have so many friends who love me and support me that I don't ever want to leave them. Especially you, Kashino. You made me see what reality really is, you made me see why I should keep moving forward, you made me realize who I am. I am Hyuga Sawako, and I shall never forget you, Andou or Hanabusa. Not ever. I don't ever want even one day's separation from either one of you. I will never survive without you guys if I ever win this. Kashino, please keep this sapphire to remind you of me, I hope to see all of you soon. Love, Sawako.'"_

* * *

><p><strong>I never really intended for this chapter to be sad, maybe I just felt like it, maybe it's just that my friends have already passed on that made me write this.<strong>

**All I want you guys to know is that a bond stronger than chains will never be broken. My bonds with my friends have retold me of that fact that our ties with each other would never die.**

**Read this chapter, I really tried my best with it.**

**Kudos,**

**HinakoNamikaze99**

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	3. Chapter 3: No Longer United

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yumeiro Patissiere. I don't own Japan. Ask me again and...nothing much will happen to you.

**A/N: The current lives of Sawako's ex-teammates. Not much of the canon cast in this chapter! Sorry!**

**Chapter Three:** No Longer United

* * *

><p>"Yuki-chan...come *burp* back..."<p>

"Absolutely not, Haiku-san. Being a housekeeper does not mean I shall constantly be there for your beck and call. For one, I am a _housekeeper_, so I shall decline your offer for an unofficial date. Also, you also have a girlfriend, am I correct?" Yuki questioned in her usual, fancy drawl.

"Aw man...just a little date, please? Yuki-chan...*hic*..." Haiku whined.

"Haiku-san! You're obviously drunk! I recommend you get back to bed _right now_!" Yuki, shocked that a respectable patissier as Haiku was actually _under the influence of alcochol_.

"Can't help it...*burp*...couldn't reject the offer of *hic* Cou's *hic* brandy chocolates..." Haiku showed off a weak smile, which just made Yuki facepalm at the drunkenly adorable face of 'Puppy-chan Haiku'.

"Back to bed, and I'll stay for awhile," Yuki sighed defeatedly as she whipped out Haiku's apartment keys and unlocked the door, gently shoving the dazed Haiku towards the sofa before padlocking every single lock in case Haiku was so out that somebody came in and kicked his ass for some godforsaken reason. Actually, a good ass-kicking might be healthy in Haiku's case...

An unmistakable flash of dark purple hair caught her eye.

"Oi, Yuki, wanna piece?" Cou burped from the corner of his bedroom door, holding out a box of brandy chocolates and smirking in the most annoying manner.

"Well, Cou-san, if you couldn't just _stand there _eating some of your bloody _chocolates _and might've _helped __me _get Haiku-san back on his feet before he injures himself, _yes_, I might," Yuki growled, flicking away a raven lock of hair that was _really _too straggly for her liking. Damn, she needed to get back to her hairdresser's ASAP...

"Too much work. And that idiot needs the shaking up or he'll never learn," Cou explained, dumping the rest of the candy on the floor while assisting Yuki in finding some painkillers. _Really _strong painkillers.

"That's awful, he's your own teammate!" Yuki protested, shocked, as the pills dissolved in the hot water bottle she previously prepared before piling Haiku layer after layer with silk blankets.

"That was years ago, when we were just midgets of fourteen," Cou replied harshly.

"_You _were, but not _Hyuga-san_," Yuki silenced him with her razor-sharp tone.

"You were there too! Until you backed out because you were too _scared _to compete against the _real _players! And look at you now because you made yourself get _expelled _from St. Marie!" Cou fought back, his voice getting louder to screaming levels.

_Crash! _went the water bottle as Yuki collided it against the tabletop, the glass shards spilling all over the floor and cutting into her hands, who, was not reacting in the slightest. Any idiot could tell that she was very much ready to murder Cou.

"I _dare _you to say that again, Cou!" Yuki yelled, her green orbs flashing dangerously at Cou's dark-brown ones.

"You're weak, and I'm actually _glad _that Haiku invited Sawako in _our _team instead of someone like _you_," Cou replied coldly, glaring eye-to-eye at the rather tall brunette.

"Screw you," Yuki retorted through gritted teeth as she swept up the broken shards into a towel before dumping it in a trashcan. She decided that getting angry would not do any good. She needed to be calm now, for Haiku's safety, and for her sake. She couldn't rely on Cou at all to keep her friend safe from criminal elements.

"A rather inappropriate argumentative comment, might I say, Yuki," Cou retreated from the kitchen and slammed the bedroom door behind him.

Yuki facepalmed in dismay. Things were not turning as well as she wanted it to be.

Back in the living room, Haiku jolted up from his pillow and shouted, "I'M GOING TO ST. MARIE AND NOBODY'S GOING TO STOP ME!"

Five seconds later, he passed out on the floor.

* * *

><p>So to say, their fourth teammate was doing rather well. In fact, he was doing better than ever without the help of his unworthy so-called 'teammates'.<p>

Getting a little twerp of twelve seemed an awful idea to him at first. Actually, it seemed rather _insane _to let the little midget _compete_ in the first place Even if she _was _the 'Prodigy-On-Par-With-Henri-Lucas'. A little girl like _her _couldn't be as good as Henri-sensei. Proven wrong again and again. Finally acknowledged the little brat when his uncle Haru finally took notice of his skills and accepted him in his company.

Kotou, the chief patissier's right-hand man of Haru Pastries Industry, was selling millions day by day. He hadn't heard from his teammates since four months ago after each of them decided to break up and go on with their lives. It had been absolute bliss

It had been absolute boredom too.

Kotou was already so used to Haiku whining and randomly screaming out ideas that he accidentally reprimanded at his assistant to shut up and grow up unintentionally after one nerve-breaking night shift. The poor girl burst into tears and gave in her resignation letter the next day.

He was so prone to falling for Cou's pranks that he stood outside the kitchen for five minutes to inspect whether a pail was precautiously sitting on top of the door. In the end someone else came in while staring at Kotou as if he was an absolute idiot.

Not to mention Sawako's habits to draw in air with whatever object she could find. One day he did that with his stirring spoon and everybody looked at him as if he went absolutely bonkers. His uncle Haru thought it was of stress. That little incident got him a one-week paid vacation.

Screw them, he thought, screw them all for making him this way.

"Kotou-kun, are you alright?"

An emotionless mask plastered on his face, Kotou turned to his second new assistant this month.

She was rather young, with pale skin, a dumpy figure, bright blue eyes and shockingly blonde hair that was cut so short that she rather resembled a girlish boy. This brought him back to the first meeting with the 'rambunctious, fiesty and all-too spunky' Hyuga Sawako during the 'team recruitment' application.

He fixed his circular, black-trimmed spectacles at the girl, who flinched under his cold, icy-blue gaze.

"Yes, now kindly hand me some eggs, Lucille-kun," he ordered unkindly, using her full name instead of the nickname she requested everyone to call her. Which was - obviously - 'Lucy'.

"H-Hai!" she squeaked and took off in her flip-flops, which - Kotou took disapprovingly - seemed stable but way too casual for working in a kitchen. She returned with the eggs and he started crushing them harshly with his fist - without his usual fluid grace - which literally scared Lucy half-to-death.

"K-Kotou-san! Y-Your hands!" Lucy cried, diverting most of the staff's attention to her. Kotou gritted his teeth at the uneccesary attention despite his constant bleeding.

"It's nothing," Kotou growled offhandedly. Lucy didn't listen.

"U-Um...please hold on for a second while I'll get some bandages! P-Please!" Lucy begged as she took off again more hurriedly before Kotou could tell her to calm her shit down. He sweatdropped as some of the patissiers around him started to giggle at his tactless embarrassment. He swore he was going to strangle them one day.

* * *

><p>"A-Amano-san...you're trembling too much," Sawako sweatdropped, watching the all-too nervous girl trying to mix some ice-cream as quickly as possible before it turned hard.<p>

"I-It's hard for me to s-stir with you s-staring at me like that!" Ichigo half-shouted, sweating buckets.

"Leave it, Hyuga, Amano's hopeless when it comes to pressure," Kashino told her, preparing his chocolate gelato and three-layered chocolate cake. Sawako left Ichigo's side - much to Ichigo's relief - and looked over Hanabusa's handiwork.

On a silver platter were three bunches of crystallized roses and various other flowers, its maker gently placing them at the sides of his creation, which was of a tall, whimsical young woman with draperies over her shoulders and adorned with flowers and bound in chains and trails of beads. It certainly was a Hanabusa creation at it's best. It smelled pretty good too. Rather rosy.

"It's gorgeous," Sawako smiled, taking in its beautiful granduer under the bright, afternoon sunlight.

Hanabusa did not respond. Which was a good sign. He was concentrating on his work.

She turned her attention to Andou. The smell of macha and a mixture of vanilla was obvious in the air as she watched Andou delicately frost the cake with smooth, to die-for macha frosting, making the plain vanilla cake bloom with a 'flowery, Japanese-esque' touch.

"Nice work, Andou-kun." Under his brow, Andou gave a satisfied grin.

Her last 'temporary disciple', in contrast to the others, seemed to be working below his best. Sawako tried not to twitch at the smell of too-bitter chocolate aroma and pinched herself from flinching. Kashino moved away to let her taste his cake. Scaling a small piece of chocolate cake, she dipped it into some gelato and slipped it into her mouth.

She recoiled at the bitter taste and desperately tried to hide her awkwardness as it stung her tastebuds. It was as if he just threw some chocolate into a bowl of salt and pepper and mashed it in like there was no tomorrow.

"It's..." her mouth twitched into a half-hearted smile, "Not bad."

Kashino sighed, "Be truthful, Hyuga. This is why 'constructive criticism' exists."

"Let me put it plainly then," Sawako mumbled in defeat, "It sucks. It's way too bitter."

Kashino facepalmed at her bluntness.

"I accidentally tipped in too much salt, my fault," the others perked up at this explanation. Well yeah, _everybody _made mistakes, but this was _Kashino Makoto_ they were talking about! Whenever chocolate was concerned, he was a perfectionist.

Seeing the uneasy atmosphere in the air, Sawako leaned in and asked worriedly, "Kashino-kun, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Kashino said without his usual upbeat, cocky confidence, looking down at his bitter concoction, "It's nothing."

Still feeling worried, Sawako turned away and continued her inspection.

* * *

><p>"Chocolat, is there anything wrong with Kashino?" Cafe asked, concerned.<p>

"He's never like this," Chocolat muttered, biting her thumb in worry, "I swear, he was fine since five minutes ago ~desu wa!"

"Mm," Shortcake agreed, looking over her nervous partner, the downcast expression in her eyes returning back to her eyes again, like before.

"Wah ~ the macha frosting smells so good ~dechu!" Caramel exclaimed innocently, back on sugar high again.

"ICHIGO! YOU'RE FALLING BEHIND! PICK UP THE PACE!" Vanilla screamed at her partner, who seemed to be so under pressure that she looked as if she might faint on the spot. Shortcake was a very infuential spirit after all...

"It's your fault," Cafe said openly, smiling irritatingly at the easiliy fired-up Shortcake. Shortcake shot him a silent glare, the sudden almost way-too-perfect smile on her face twitching.

"Oh?" Shortcake asked sweetly, "Enlighten me, then."

"There, there," Chocolat reassured nervously, seeing war brewing, completely forgetting about Kashino's well-being.

It certainly was quite an intriguing day.

* * *

><p>Yuki didn't like being in here. Save the presence of the temperamental Cou, it was just that...<p>

Haiku's apartment stank.

Her 'automatic-cleaning' fingers twitched at the hot towel on Haiku's forehead, just _dying _to grab it off his head and start cleaning the 15% unclean table, the 30% dusty couch and the 63% dirty floor, which was obviously cluttered with bottles and cans of vinegar, rosemary and various other spices.

She loved her job. If this question had been asked five months ago, she would've denied it flatly and say that there was something wrong with the person asking the question. She got so addicted to cleaning that you could _see _your reflection on her floor, hell, even her _teacups _sparkled!

She couldn't care less if she got kicked out of St. Marie.

Or did she?

She thought of tha Hyuga girl taking her place after she heard that Tennouji _Mari _was competing at that time, how if it wasn't for that girl to press on making desperate last-minute changes on the 'Tower of Reaching Dreams', they would've failed outright.

That achievement ripped her apart, that a _twelve-year-old _girl at that time had brought the team to victory. What would've happened if they hadn't replaced her with the Hyuga? Would they still be victorious? Or would they crash and burn?

And Haiku...she loved Haiku, she truly did, he was her goal, the man who could make anything with his hands with a smile on his face, his elegant grace and style, his relaxed features when fixing something that deemed impossible to her, how he always seemed to be positive in any situation.

And he fell in love with Hyuga Sawako.

She could've kicked herself. If she never told him about her opting out, or explained to him about Sawako's abilities, he would be hers right now, the person walking beside her, smiling at her, inspiring her.

Not worth changing time now. Just so proves that once you start regretting your mistakes from your earlier life, you really start to realize how much time has passed.

Straightening her skirt, she grabbed a duster from the shelf and started dusting for all it was worth.

She didn't notice a pair of eyes straying at her face while her back was turned. Eyes that built regret. The eyes of Cou.

* * *

><p><strong><span>(Sunday) 7.00 p.m...<span>**

Kotou had a long hard day at work. Scratch that, today was the worst day _ever_.

Beside the fact that Lucy was constantly at his beck and call and eyeing him like a hawk and fussing over him like a mother hen, his colleagues had all started faking cuts and laughing at him outrightly while his uncle Haru's back was turned. In the end, he spent his free time giving them the 'Fiery Kotou Punch of Death'.

Much to say, he was back to step one, where everyone was fearing and avoiding him completely.

All except for Lucy.

If it wasn't for that little idiot's fault, he wouldn't be in isolation now, if it wasn't for her making him blush, his colleagues might've continued respecting him.

Or was it his fault?

He avoided getting any nearer to the truth of himself and started punching the lift buttons of his condo. 1...2...3...

He punched the buttons again. And again and again...

"Hey boy, the lift's broken, no use taking it out on the poor buttons," the condo staff cleaner called out, annoyed.

A vein potruded precariously on his temple as he started climbing up the stairs all the way up to the 20th floor. Screw his life. Screw it.

While he was hastily climbing up the stairs under the faint light of the dangling lightbulbs, he reminisced the times with Group-B. Unintentionally.

* * *

><p><em><span>Flashback<span>_

_"Ne, ne, guys! Should we enter the St. Marie Grand Prix this year?" Haiku screamed to the Middle School Section B-Group consisting of members: Harumi Yuki, Todoki Kotou, Hirragi Cou and Yurai Haiku himself. _

_The rest of the members were quietly having tea and cakes before the idiot with the mentality of five-year-old barged in on them and corrupting the peaceful atmosphere. They used to bet how many times Haiku would ruin the atmosphere in a month, and normally the tactful Kotou would win the bet with a close average of 40 times._

_"Isn't it the year Tennouji Mari-san is entering?" Kotou asked diplomatically. _

_"Eh? That genius girl from A-Group?" Yuki exclaimed in horror, "we won't stand a chance, baka!"_

_"I'm not a baka, baka Yuki!" Haiku overreacted, causing deadpanning from his friends._

_"Sounds interesting, going up against the real players," Cou smirked, slapping down his newspaper, "B-Group vs. A-Group, the group with the raw talent and the group with the brains." _

_"Thereotically speaking, it means A-Group has both brains and raw talent," Kotou said calmly, sipping his tea. _

_Cou glared at Kotou, "Kotou, you're not helping."_

_"I was never intending to help you in the first place."_

_"Calm down, calm down!" shouted Haiku, though privately amused, as he turned to his female member, "So what d'you think, Yuki-chan?" Yuki looked away from eye contact and stared down at her feet. The others perked up when she didn't respond for the next ten seconds. In the end, she said:_

_"Gomenasai, Haiku-san, Kotou-san, Cou-san, but I don't think I shall be participating."_

_Kotou's expensive china teacup slipped from his fingers and crashed on the floor, the expensive milk tea spilling across the veranda. Even he of all people was surprised that the Number-One-Fangirl-Of-Idiot-Haiku didn't want to participate in the St. Marie Cake Grand Prix WITH HAIKU. _

_"NANI! WHY!" Haiku screamed at Yuki, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her repeatedly like a rag dall, the blush on face nearing towards her ears. _

_"I don't think I'm up for any match against someone as impressive as Tennouji Mari-san or any other high school student who has more potential than some B-Group member like me," Yuki said sheepishly as the hysterical boy released her. _

_"You're a brilliant patissier, Yuki," Kotou said uncharacteristically in a sincere tone. _

_"Yeah, who can make awesome candy sculptures like you?" Cou piped in._

_"That Hanabusa kid, the junior playboy with green hair?" cue raised eyebrows of everyone in B-Group. _

_"You're awesome, Yuki-chan! Nobody can beat you when it comes to art! You make everything beautiful, Yuki-chan!" Haiku said innocently sincerely, not noticing the state of Yuki's face at his outrageous compliment. _

_"And who else is going to balance us out? We can't have anyone half-assed in this group! This is Group-B you're talking about! Don't screw with us!" Cou exclaimed, bumping fists with the surprised girl. The two shared a strong rivalry together and they didn't think it was possible for them to communicate even once. _

_"There's always a substitution for everything, when a Queen Bee dies, another takes its place," Yuki explained with her otherwordly logic. Unfortunately with the brain of a peanut, Cou had no idea what she was talking about. _

_After five minutes of silence and piercing gazes, Yuki blabbed out, "What about that girl, Hyuga Sawako-san?" _

_"Hyuga?" Kotou's eyebrows fixed together in apprehension. _

_"The cross-dresser boy?" Cou wondered aloud. At this comment, Yuki hit him over the head with a paper fan. _

_"She's a girl, you baka! Just because of a bad haircut doesn't mean she looks bad! Alright maybe, but still!" Yuki shouted. _

_"THAT'S BRILLIANT! Isn't she that really intelligent girl in Group-A with the Sweets Princes?" Haiku said excitedly. _

_"Intelligent? Her brains are so bad they might be even worse than Cou's," Kotou smirked, causing a twitch in Cou's left eye and a clenching fist. _

_"I've heard she's improving with Makoto-kun's guidance," Yuki said quickly. _

_"Kashino Makoto? That asshole-kid who told me in the face that my brandy chocolates had too much brandy?" Cou's cup cracked in his grasp, "Little bastard. Remind me to tell him that he's got a pole way too far up his ass." _

_Yuki sweatdropped, "You DID put in too much brandy, Cou! Anyone who actually ATE them were drunk for the two days! Straight!" _

_Cou scoffed, "Everyone's a critic. Meh." _

_"So do you think I should send her a request?" Haiku asked Yuki. _

_Yuki shrugged, wary of his sparkling eyes, "She's always at the Library if you want to find her." _

_"THAT'S GREAT!" five seconds later after indulging in some unknowingly, brandy-filled cakes, Haiku sped off at tops speeds towards the Library. _

_What left at the veranda were three people, two perfect china teacups and a half-slice of muffin. _

_"I get dibs on that muffin," Cou proposed. _

_Kotou and Yuki facepalmed. _

_Flashback End_

* * *

><p><strong>Ah...*cracks fingers* one week of tests are officially OVER! MUAHAHAHAAHAA! *chokes in saliva* HA - !<strong>

**Anyways, this was one hell of a chapter. I had to rewrite it four times, one because the first draft sucked, second because my computer hanged after 3000 words and the third just made me cry. After the fourth draft I was like: FINALLY!**

**The backstory of Yuki, Kotou, Cou and Haiku...The Ex-Middle School Section B-Group guys! Boo yah!**

**Sorry if Yuki sounded like a damsel in distress, Kotou a heartless bastard (mainly because he IS a heartless bastard...), Cou a loudmouth, sarcastic alcohol addict, and Haiku being too much of a carefree fool (*Tribute to my favorite Pandora Hearts character: JACK ~!*)**

**Here are their so-called 'skills':**

**Haiku - Recreation Skills That Are Impossible To Believe Is Real**

**Cou - Alcohol/Brandy/Chocolates. Just Loves His Brandy. Mainly Anything Having To Do With Brandy.**

**Yuki - Sculptures and Design.**

**Kotou - Bitter Sweet Bad Boy. Anything To Do With Balance of Sugar and Spice.**

**Okay...hope to see you guys soon ~**

**Kudos!**

**HinakoNamikaze99**


	4. Chapter 4: A Night To Remember

Author's Note: I do not own the sweetness of Yumeiro Patissiere. All rights go to the artist/author.

Second Author's Note: This chapter will be rather short. Sorry.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Return of Hyuga Sawako<span>**

**Chapter Three:** A Night To Remember

Written by HinakoNamikaze99

* * *

><p>Intelligence, determination and uniqueness was everything Kashino liked in a girl. Liked, not loved, please.<p>

It was everything Sawako was. He liked her sly grin, the way she chuckled at a joke, her limitless array of expressions. But she was a different person every second, which was the problem. He was sure she had mood issues, or at least had a bipolar personality, as what else was allowing her to become all innocent and gentle one moment, clumsy and uncaring the next moment, then a raging, sadistic dominatrix the next?

He found it rather interesting to guess what mood she was in, and push her buttons to see what reaction she would have. That was fun.

Then there was Amano Ichigo. Clumsy, friendly, innocent and naive. Her smile could brighten up his soul, no problem. The way her brown hair beautifully accented her untainted, clear skin and how her unnerving her gaze was made Kashino's heart race. She was his princess compared to Sawako, his mistress.

It was hard not to laugh at the thought of dark-haired, clear, blue-eyed Hyuga Sawako wearing a black, dominatrix outfit and stomping on a helpless, masochistic boy in her high heels. Hey, Kashino read his share of S&M manga too, dudes. He was still a hormone-crazed teenage boy like any other.

On to the story and ignoring the perverted side of Kashino's brain.

* * *

><p>It was another, boring night in the kitchen, not a single Sweets Spirit in sight, the sound of metal clanging against each other audible across the room, the sweet scent of chocolate filling the cold atmosphere. Yet Kashino Makoto was beyond bored out of his gourd. Sunday evenings made him more worn-down than on other days. No reason.<p>

Unconsciously, he held up his left hand and caught the shimmer of the tiny, expensive jewel dangling off a metal, interconnected loop that patterned across his wrist. He had never taken it off since the day Sawako left. He gently flicked the jewel and for a moment, time stopped. He lurched back in pain, feeling little memories rush into his head like blood as flashes and images clicked on and off his mind. Sawako's unusual-tasting Opera, Ichigo's terrible mille fuellie. Sawako's smile. Ichigo's smile. Their faces seemed so weird to him. Fazed out and blurry.

He hadn't realized how he would be without Ichigo or Sawako around. Over-focused, harsh, and probably intolerant. For short, a jerk.

He dropped the knife into the basin and carelessly threw the pan of steaming hot chocolate over the floor, its contents spilling everywhere. Cursing creatively, Kashino got down to his knees and busily fumbled around for some imaginary mop to appear.

An outstretched, slim arm stopped him, clutching a soft-blue handkerchief . It only took one glance for him to notice the shimmering metal loops intersecting one another up the person's elbow. Little, tiny yet beautiful charms twinkled under the fluorescent light. He could already guess who.

"What do you want, Hyuga?"

Mockingly offended by his tone, Sawako pouted and snatched away the piece of cloth, "Is that the way you talk to your friend?"

"Alright, truce, truce," Kashino sighed, accepting the 'peace treaty' item and started scrubbing away, feeling a hell lot like Cinderella.

Watchful eyes traced his every action, every blink, every breath like a hawk. He could feel her eyes grazing over his well-hidden bracelet. Then he noticed it. What actually brought him a tiny bit of horror and surprise at the same time.

Tomboyish, I-don't-give-a-damn-what-you-think Hyuga Sawako, was wearing a _dress_. And said dress came up _two fingers _above her knees, was sleeveless, and - ugh - PINK. PINK! And _PINK _bunny slippers to match! Everyone knew pink went horrible with _blue eyes_! (Author's Note: Probably not a true fact)_  
><em>

"What the hell are you wearing?" Kashino blurted in horror.

Sawako delicately picked the fabric of her dress and cringed, "Last year Henri replaced all my favorite jumpers with designer stuff."

"You could've just said no," Kashino retorted halfheartedly, his eyes scanning her nonexistent curves and chest with unhealthy curiosity. _Just as flat as Amano...wait...WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING! _Inner Perv Kashino screamed.

She looked down and habitually twirled a lock of her dark hair nervously, "I didn't want to hurt his feelings. He did spend a lot of effort buying them."

Kashino looked away, his whole face turning black with anger at the thought that that 'French dude' was literally charming every single girl he was 'interested' in. First Amano, then Hyuga. Though if Hyuga went for him it could probably lead to a shitload of incest. No, bad idea. Even though they weren't related, it was still sicker than Ichigo x Henri (Author's Note: I have no grudge against incest. Please forgive me on this one).

After five minutes of scrubbing, Sawako decided to help out and dropped on her knees, cleaning away the liquid stuck in the cracks, doing her best to avoid eye contact with the boy beside her.

"So how did it go at the Cake Grand Prix at Paris?"

"I can't tell you that, it's cheating," Sawako replied.

"Then you won't mind if I ask what kind of stuff did you do with Yurai-senpai?"

Sawako practically squeezed the life out of her napkin and her cheeks immediately turned into a red-hot colored blush that made her whole face look like a tomato.

"BAKA!" she yelled as she whacked the dirty napkin over his head.

Realizing what she had done, she gasped in shock at the masterpiece she had done on Kashino's pretty blonde head.

After ten seconds of pure silence, Kashino sighed, "You just HAD to hit my head."

Ten seconds after that, Sawako choked and spat on his face.

* * *

><p>It took him half-an-hour to wash out the murky brown stuff out of his hair, and even after that, there was still a tinge of permanent darkening in his scalp. Well, he was going to have them one way or another so...<p>

"Are you ready?" Sawako whispered unnecessarily outside the boys' lavatory near the kitchen, peeking around, hoping to find something comical she could joke about.

Kashino looked up from the sink and asked, "Ready for what?"

Sawako's cheeks inflamed a pretty crimson color at the sight of Kashino Makoto, practically topless, in front of a mirror with his blond hair dripping wet and hanging delicately over his eyes. There was always something irresistible about guys who had their hair wet...bad-boy complex going on again? And _wow_, he did look pretty damn good, wet or dry.

"Put on a shirt, please," Sawako muttered, looking away before Kashino saw how red she looked.

"You didn't answer the question, where are we going?" Kashino asked aloud, wary that it was nearly past curfew as he slipped on a bright green sweater, constantly glancing at the mirror in case his darkened hair was visible.

Sawako grinned and chuckled, "You don't remember _that place_?"

Raising a knowing eyebrow, Kashino smirked and said, "Oh, _that _place."

* * *

><p>"Oh, wow."<p>

The evening sky bloomed with tiny bright constellations, the soft air slowly caressing the trees, making it look as if they were dancing. This fascinated Sawako, who had always found the night so much livelier unlike the day, where everything moved so fast that it was hard to notice nature responding around them.

"Careful." Sawako gave a half-shriek as she slipped on her bunny slipper and would have nearly fell if Kashino hadn't caught her wrist on time. Her heart pounded at the darkness below her, and the fact that they were on _the roof_.

"I didn't remember it being this high," she panted, her knees shaking as she tugged the boy's wrist. She felt like this wasn't a good idea anymore, and she felt the wind getting harsher as her fear grew.

Kashino slowly turned towards her, grabbing her shoulders for support. "Calm down," he assured with his steady voice, and squeezed her arm that was shaking, "you've done this a thousand times. On the trees, on balconies. Just _calm down_." His words brought Sawako back to her senses and she stopped trembling, her iron grip on the blonde's hand and stared across the school.

It was really lovely. The wind became gentler, and her drumming heartbeat slowed down as soon as Kashino got her to sit down. He latched his arm around her waist to prevent her from falling, and she felt safe. Safer than she had ever been. She breathed in the crisp cool air and rested her head against his shoulder, staring at the scenery.

The school really was beautiful in the night, the lights looked like stars, and it made it look so inviting, like a kingdom welcoming its rulers. _With me as the queen and the king..._her train of thought stopped and she forced herself not to think the inevitable. Haiku was her boyfriend. Yet why was she leaning on this blonde boy's shoulder as if they were lovers?

Then she caught him staring at her incredulously, and she quickly scooched to the other side, in fear that he didn't like her head resting on his shoulder.

She looked down and muttered, "Sorry." She could feel her whole face turning hot. Thank God it was nighttime...

"It's fine," Kashino sighed, but he looked away, a faraway gaze on his face. She then realized he was staring at the school. Its welcoming doorways and dorm rooms.

"What will you do after we graduate?" he asked, looking solemn.

She perked up, not used to being asked this question, she tilted her head and asked, "Why?"

"I was thinking...maybe we can run a shop...with Amano and the rest of course!" he added quickly.

"Hm..." she murmured, "what kind of shop?"

"A sweets shop. Chocolate, sugar sculptures, Japanese-Western sweets, anything our hearts desire, we'll be famous and then..." Kashino continued, smiling little by little as he spoke of the dream, adding a little bit of Paris and winning the Cake Grand Prix into the mix. Sawako watched him with lingering affection, the way he spoke with absolute faith and confidence, the way his eyes sparkled at the mention of getting to Paris, it made her a little melancholy at the thought that she might have to go back to Ex Group B again and join the business they promised to invite her to.

She really liked Team B, and those two years in Paris weren't meaningless. But it was fun to be back with Andou, Hanabusa and Kashino...

_"I really like you, Sawa-chan!" _

Sawako returned back to reality at that memory. It was the day that Haiku confessed to her. He looked so earnest, so caring, so headstrong...she shook her head, no, it would just be wrong to abandon Haiku. Yet she felt a pang of guilt at the thought that Kashino's dream would not come true.

_Well, it's not as me being there would make any difference,_ she thought, as she carefully stood up, balancing herself with her outstretched arms as she looked down on Kashino, smiling, a fake one.

"It's past curfew, we should go."

Kashino looked bewildered as she grabbed his hand and slowly led him towards the safety of the solid floors. She felt regret feeding off her as she stepped over the railings, Kashino landing safely behind her. She smiled again, punched him on the shoulder and chuckled, "Good night!" all the time, avoiding eye contact.

She wanted to leave, she didn't want to see his face, and her whole body shivered as she willed her legs to move. Before she could turn her back on him, he grabbed her, spun her around and wrapped his hands around her. She squeaked at the intense body heat between the two of them. She could hear his heavy breathing, his trembling body, and his warm chest that always seemed to support her. He was...she had to admit, very comforting.

"You know," he said, caressing her hair as he rested his forehead on hers, "if you want to cry, cry on me. If anyone hurts you, I'll be there to defend you. If you need me, I'll never leave you." His words pierced her as she couldn't help gazing at the hazel eyes of Kashino Makoto.

His eyes looked so lonely that Sawako felt her heart race, aching at the sight at how alone this person really was. She couldn't stand it...she couldn't stand how Kashino was defending himself against his loneliness...

"Please," she croaked, tears welling up in her eyes, "please...don't look at me with those eyes..."

She felt something brush against her forehead as she fell into his arms, her tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried like a child again, clutching onto the person she trusted the most. Kashino Makoto...

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I know this is pretty short. A little romance in this one! Instantly got inspiration from Vampire Knight! 3 I hoped you like it! Sorry! I swear I will get back to the storyline in the next chapter!<p>

Toodles!

HinakoNamikaze99


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